Trinity’s lecturers union has passed a motion endorsing an academic boycott of Israel in a significant win for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
At its EGM on September 26, the Trinity branch of the Irish Federation of University Teacher (IFUT) adopted a comprehensive pro-BDS stance, specifically including support for an “academic boycott and [cutting] ties with Israeli academic institutions”.
The motion was adopted following an emergency meeting called by a petition of union members. Since local branches within IFUT operate with full autonomy, it sought to actualise the commitment to BDS made at IFUT’s May 2024 Annual Delegate Conference.
The motion was brought forward by two Academia for Palestine (AfP) members, and mandates the union to pursue the cutting of all ties, whether academic, supplier or investment to Israel wherever possible with due regards to “contractual obligations and the welfare of TCD researchers”.
It further mandates the union to promote stronger relations between Trinity and Palestinian Universities “and offer support to the rebuilding of these universities in Gaza” and to ensure that Trinity “does not have any institutional partnerships, Erasmus, international mobility or exchange agreements with Israeli HEIs”.
As of last semester, Trinity had two exchange agreements in place with Israeli universities, the Hebrew University Jerusalem and Bar Ilan University. It also has a memorandum of understanding with Al Quds University, a Palestinian university based in Jerusalem.
“Israeli universities aren’t merely complicit in genocide, they are active participants” said Dr David Landy of AfP.
“30% of the student body in Israel has participated in the slaughter in Gaza, fully supported by their institutions. These universities, through their public statements, their military research, their training programmes for the IDF, and their social media ‘situation rooms’, have directly participated in the genocide in Gaza.”
Dr. Harun Šiljak added that the new mandate gives substance to IFUT’s “clear pro-BDS position”.
“[It outlines] how to operationalise BDS in relation to investments, suppliers, and institutional academic links. It is based on best practices of other universities that have cut ties with Israeli institutions – Ghent, Barcelona and Galway University among others.”
“We now have a clear framework of action for our IFUT delegates to advance on the taskforce and in other forums.”
The motion was adopted ahead of the upcoming task force on divestment from Israel, set up in wake of the May encampment on Fellows Square. All the unions in Trinity – IFUT, SIPTU, UNITE and Connect – support the international BDS campaign and are expected to have seats on the upcoming task force, alongside TCDSU and TCD BDS.
